Power conditioning module

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, the present invention is a technique of, and a system for conditioning power for a consuming device. In this regard, a power conditioning module, affixed to an integrated circuit device, conditions power to be applied to the integrated circuit device. The power conditioning module includes a semiconductor substrate having a first interface and a second interface wherein the first interface opposes the second interface. The power conditioning module further includes a plurality of interface vias, to provide electrical connection between the first interface and the second interface, and a first set of pads, disposed on the first interface and a second set of pads disposed on the second interface. Each of the pads is connected to a corresponding one of the interface vias on either the first or second interface. The power conditioning module also includes electrical circuitry, disposed within semiconductor substrate, to condition the power to be applied to the integrated circuit device. The electrical circuitry may be disposed on the first interface, the second interface, or both interfaces. Moreover, the electrical circuitry includes at least one voltage regulator and at least one capacitor.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/384,000,filed Mar. 7, 2003, and entitled “APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING POWER ANDMANAGING THERMAL ENERGY IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE”, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference. The U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/384,000 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10,072,137, filed Feb. 7, 2002 now “U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,251, issued onAug. 12, 2003, and entitled “POWER CONDITIONING MODULE”, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for electrical powerconditioning and thermal capture/rejection management systems; and moreparticularly, in one aspect, to integrating electrical powerconditioning techniques and heat capture and removal techniques into oronto a common substrate, such as silicon, germanium, gallium arsenic.

Electronic and electrical devices continue to demand additional power asthe number of transistors on a semiconductor device, for example amicroprocessor, increase dramatically. As a result of that increasingdemand, there is an increasing demand on the power conditioning and heatrejection capabilities of systems that support such devices. Forexample, as microprocessor speed and transistor count increase, there isan increasing requirement for electrical power (an increase in averagepower consumption) conditioning. Further, as more and more functions areintegrated into the microprocessor, for example, the functions typicallyperformed by the floating point processors and video or graphicsprocessors, the power conditioning system must address or respond to therapidly varying temporal and spatial levels of power consumption.Moreover, the increase in microprocessor speed and transistor count, andthe incorporation of more and more functions into the microprocessor,have also created a rapidly increasing requirement to capture and removeheat generated by such microprocessors.

Power supplies are available to meet the power demands, however, thepower supply is often located some distance from the consuming device.The finite wire lengths between the supply and the device includecapacitance and inductance that introduce time delays in the delivery ofpower in response to changes in demand by the consuming device. Asmentioned above, the temporal change in power consumption of, forexample, a microprocessor, is increasing as processor speeds increaseand as more and more functions are incorporated into the microprocessor.In response, power conditioning electrical/electronics systems are beingplaced closer and closer to the consuming device. Locating the powerconditioning elements, such as voltage regulators, capacitors, DC-DCconverters, near the consuming device may address the concerns regardingthe power conditioning needs.

A conventional configuration of the power conditioning system isillustrated in FIG. 1. That system often includes discrete capacitors,voltage regulators, and AC-DC or DC-DC converters. Briefly, discretecapacitors typically are located in physical proximity with andelectrically connected to the integrated circuit device. As such, suddendemands by the device during operation may be satisfied by the chargestored on the capacitor, thereby maintaining a relatively constant inputvoltage for the time necessary for the increased demand to be addressedby the supply. Such capacitors are typically known as bypass capacitors,and are common elements in analog circuit design, digital circuitdesign, and power device circuit design.

Voltage regulators are employed to take input power at a high voltage(for example, 7 volts), and provide relatively stable output power at alower voltage (for example, 1 to 5 volts). Voltage regulators tend toprovide the lower voltage with greatly increased immunity to variationsin the high voltage level, or to variations in current drawn by theconsuming device. Regulators are commonly employed in designs of analogand digital electronic power conditioning systems, and are increasinglylikely to be placed in proximity to devices that have rapidlytime-varying power requirements.

AC-DC and DC-DC converters are employed to transform a particular supplyvoltage from a convenient source into an appropriate form forconsumption by, for example, the integrated circuit device. In manycases, system power electronics provide for a single, relatively highvoltage (for example, 48 volt DC, or 110 volt AC), whereas theintegrated circuit device may require very different supply voltages(for example, 1 to 5 volts, DC). Under this circumstance, converterstransform the power and provide the input voltage required by thedevice. In some systems, converters are located as close to theconsuming device as possible so as to provide stable voltage duringvariations in power consumption by that device. (See, for example, U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,901,040; 6,191,945; and 6,285,550).

In addition to the power management considerations, the increase inpower consumption of these devices has imposed an additional burden onthe thermal management system (i.e., systems that capture, remove and/orreject energy in the form of heat). In response, thermal managementsystems have employed such conventional techniques as heat sinks, fans,cold plates systems that employ cooling water, and/or combinationsthereof for heat-capture, removal and rejection from, for example, anintegrated circuit device. Such conventional heat management designslocate the thermal capture and rejection elements on or very near theintegrated circuit device packaging. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.6,191,945 and 6,285,550).

For example, with reference to FIG. 1, heat sinks generally consist ofmetal plates with fins that transport heat from the consuming device tothe surrounding air by natural convection. Heat sinks tend to be locatedor positioned directly on the integrated circuit device packaging. Heatsinks serve to increase the area of contact between the device and thesurrounding air, thereby reducing the temperature rise for a givenpower.

One technique to enhance the heat transfer between a heat sink and thesurrounding air is to employ a fan (typically rotating blades driven byelectric motors) in conjunction with a heat sink. Fans may enhance theheat transfer between a heat sink and the surrounding air by causing theair to circulate through the heat sink with greater velocity than bynatural convection.

Another technique used by conventional systems to enhance thecapabilities of the thermal management system is to reduce the thermalresistance between the consuming device and the heat sink. This ofteninvolves reducing the number and thickness of the layers between thedevice, the device package and the heat sink. (See, for example, U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,191,945 and 6,285,550).

In sum, conventional systems address power conditioning and thermalmanagement requirements by placing both the power conditioning and heatcapture and rejection elements as close to the integrated circuit deviceas possible. This has led to the typical, conventional layout that isillustrated in FIG. 1. With reference to FIG. 1, the consuming device isan integrated circuit device. The thermal management element is heatsink that is in contact with the consuming device. In someimplementation, the heat capture, removal and rejection (via the heatsink) may be relatively high.

Further, the power conditioning circuitry (capacitors, voltageregulators, AC-DC and DC-DC converters) is positioned next to theconsuming device to reduce the wiring length between the supply and theintegrated circuit device.

While such conventional power conditioning and thermal managementtechniques may be suitable for power consumption and heatcapture/rejection requirements for some current device, conventionaltechniques are unlikely to address the anticipated increases in bothpower consumption and heat capture, removal and rejection requirementsof other current devices as well as future devices. Accordingly, thereis a need for new power conditioning techniques to accommodateanticipated increases in both power consumption and heat capture,removal and/or rejection requirements.

Moreover, there is a need for improved power conditioning and thermalmanagement techniques to accommodate increases in both power consumptionand heat capture, removal and rejection requirements of current andfuture devices. Further, there is a need for improved power conditioningand thermal management techniques for devices that may be implemented inspace-constrained applications (for example, portable computers). Inthis regard, there is a need for incorporating the power conditioningand heat capture/rejection elements into the same volume in a stackedconfiguration as well as address the anticipated increases in both powerconsumption and heat capture, removal and rejection requirements.

In addition, there is a need for an improved technique(s) of powerconditioning and heat capture/rejection that integrate the powerconditioning and heat capture/rejection elements with the consumingdevice (for example, an integrated circuit device) itself—therebyreducing the deficiencies in the power conditioning due to delays insignal propagation and reducing the thermal resistance from the deviceto the heat sink due to physical separation and additional interfaces.This results in increasing the overall efficiency of both powerconditioning and thermal management capabilities of the system.

Moreover, there is a need for power conditioning and heatcapture/rejection elements that are stacked in a compact configurationto facilitate a compact packaged device which limits deficiencies in thepower conditioning due to delays in signal propagation and enhances thethermal attributes of the packaged device.

Further, while such conventional power conditioning techniques may besuitable for some applications, there is a need for a power conditioningtechnique that addresses the anticipated increases in power consumptionin all applications. For example, there is a need for improved powerconditioning techniques for devices that may be implemented inspace-constrained applications. Accordingly, there is a need forimproved power conditioning techniques to accommodate anticipatedincreases in power consumption as well as applications having stringentspace requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first principal aspect, the present invention is a powerconditioning module, affixed to an integrated circuit device, forconditioning power to be applied to the integrated circuit device. Thepower conditioning module includes a semiconductor substrate having afirst interface and a second interface wherein the first interfaceopposes the second interface. The power conditioning module furtherincludes a plurality of interface vias, to provide electrical connectionbetween the first interface and the second interface, and a first set ofpads disposed on the first interface, each of these pads is connected toa corresponding one of the interface vias on the first interface. Thepower conditioning module also includes a second set of pads disposed onthe second interface, each of these pads is connected to a correspondingone of the interface vias on the second interface.

In addition, the power conditioning module includes electricalcircuitry, disposed within a semiconductor substrate, to condition thepower to be applied to the integrated circuit device. The electricalcircuitry may be disposed on the first interface, the second interface,or both interfaces. Moreover, the electrical circuitry includes at leastone voltage regulator and at least one capacitor.

In one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the powerconditioning module also includes at least one power pad disposed on thesecond interface and at least one power via disposed in thesemiconductor substrate. The power via is electrically connected to thepower pad to provide electrical connection between the second interfaceand at least one of the voltage regulator and capacitor. The power viamay be electrically connected to a power conduit disposed in thesemiconductor substrate. The combination of the power pad, via andconduit provides electrical connection between the second interface andat least one of the voltage regulator and capacitor.

In another embodiment, the power conditioning module may include atleast one output power conduit, coupled to the electrical circuitry, toprovide conditioned power to the integrated circuit device. The outputpower conduit may connect to an input power pad disposed on the firstinterface. The input power pad may correspond to an input of theintegrated circuit device.

The power conditioning module of this aspect of the invention may alsoinclude current sensor(s), disposed in the semiconductor substrate, toprovide information that is representative of a current consumption ofthe integrated circuit and/or electrical circuit. A controller, coupledto the current sensor, may receive that information and, in response,may adjust the cooling of the integrated circuit and/or the powerconditioning module.

The power conditioning module may also include temperature sensor(s),disposed in the semiconductor substrate, to provide information that isrepresentative of a temperature of a region in proximity to thetemperature sensor. A controller may be coupled to the temperaturesensor to receive that information and, in response, may adjust thecooling of the integrated circuit and/or the power conditioning module.

In a second principal aspect, the present invention is a powerconditioning and thermal management module adapted to couple to anintegrated circuit device. The power conditioning and thermal managementmodule includes a power conditioning element having a first interfaceand a second interface, wherein the first interface opposes the secondinterface. The power conditioning element includes a semiconductorsubstrate, a plurality of interface vias, disposed in the semiconductorsubstrate, and electrical circuitry to condition the power to be appliedto the integrated circuit device. The electrical circuitry includes atleast one voltage regulator and at least one capacitor. The electricalcircuitry may be disposed on the first interface, second interface orboth interfaces of the power conditioning element.

The power conditioning and thermal management module of this aspect ofthe invention further includes a thermal management element having afirst interface and a second interface wherein the first interfaceopposes the second interface. The thermal management element, duringoperation, uses a fluid having a liquid phase to capture thermal energy.The thermal management element includes a substrate, wherein thesubstrate includes at least a portion of a micro channel disposedtherein and configured to permit fluid flow therethrough.

The thermal management element also may include a plurality of interfacevias to provide electrical connection between the first interface andthe second interface of the thermal management element. The plurality ofinterface vias of the thermal management element may connect to acorresponding one of the plurality of interface vias of the powermanagement element to provide electrical connection between the firstinterface of the power conditioning element and the second interface ofthe thermal management element. In this regard, the first interface ofthe thermal management element may be physically bonded to the secondinterface of the power conditioning element.

The power conditioning and thermal management module of this aspect ofthe invention may also include a pump (for example, an electro-osmoticpump), adapted to connect to the micro channel, to produce the flow ofthe fluid in the micro channel.

In one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the powerconditioning and thermal management module includes current sensor(s),disposed in the semiconductor substrate, to provide information that isrepresentative of a current consumption of the integrated circuit and/orthe electrical circuitry. The power conditioning and thermal managementmodule may also include a controller, coupled to the current sensor, toreceive the information that is representative of the currentconsumption of the integrated circuit. In response to that information,the controller may adjust the flow of the fluid in the micro-channel. Inthis regard, the controller may adjust a rate of flow of fluid output bythe pump.

In another embodiment, the power conditioning and thermal managementmodule includes temperature sensor(s), disposed in the powerconditioning and thermal management module, to provide information whichis representative of the temperature of a region of the powerconditioning and thermal management module or in a region of theintegrated circuit. A controller, coupled to the temperature sensor, mayreceive the temperature indicative information and, in response thereto,may adjust the flow of the fluid in the micro channel. For example, thecontroller may adjust a rate of flow of fluid output by the pump.

In yet another embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the powerconditioning and thermal management module includes at least one powerpad disposed on the second interface of the thermal management elementand at least one power via. The power via is electrically connected tothe power pad to provide electrical connection between the secondinterface of the thermal management element and at least one of thevoltage regulator and capacitor. The power via may be electricallyconnected to a power conduit disposed in the semiconductor substrate ofthe power management element. The power conduit provides electricalconnection between the power via and the electrical circuitry (i.e., atleast one of the voltage regulator and capacitor).

In another embodiment, the power conditioning and thermal managementmodule includes at least one power via disposed in the substrate of thethermal management element, at least one power pad disposed on thesecond interface of the thermal management element, and at least oneoutput power conduit, coupled to the electrical circuitry, to provideconditioned power to the integrated circuit device. The power pad ofthis embodiment is electrically connected to the power via to provideelectrical connection between the second interface of the thermalmanagement element and the electrical circuitry. The output powerconduit may connect to an input power pad disposed on the firstinterface of the power conditioning element. The input power padcorresponds to the power input pin/pad of the integrated circuit device.

In a third principal aspect, the present invention is apowerconditioning and thermal management module that couples to anintegrated circuit device. The power conditioning and thermal managementmodule has a first interface and a second interface wherein the firstinterface opposes the second interface. The power conditioning andthermal management module includes a semiconductor substrate, aplurality of interface vias to provide electrical connection between thefirst interface and the second interface, and a first plurality of padsdisposed on the first interface, each of the first plurality of pads isconnected to a corresponding one of the interface vias on the firstinterface. The power conditioning and thermal management module alsoincludes a second plurality of pads disposed on the second interface,each of the second plurality of pads is connected to a corresponding oneof the interface vias on the second interface.

In addition, the power conditioning and thermal management moduleincludes electrical circuitry and a micro channel structure. Theelectrical circuitry is disposed in the semiconductor substrate andconditions the power to be applied to the integrated circuit device. Theelectrical circuitry may be disposed on the first interface, the secondinterface or both interfaces. The electrical circuitry includes at leastone voltage regulator and at least one capacitor. The micro channelstructure includes at least one micro channel disposed in thesemiconductor substrate to capture thermal energy.

The power conditioning and thermal management module of this aspect ofthe invention may also include current sensor(s), temperature sensor(s),and a controller. The current sensor(s), temperature sensor(s), and/orcontroller may be disposed in the power conditioning and thermalmanagement module. The controller, may be coupled to the currentsensor(s) and/or temperature sensor(s), to receive the current ortemperature indicative information and, in response thereto, may adjustthe rate of capture of thermal energy by the micro channel structure. Inthis regard, the controller may adjust the flow of the fluid in themicro channel and/or a rate of flow of fluid output by the pump.

In one embodiment of this aspect of the invention, the powerconditioning and thermal management module includes at least one powerpad disposed on the second interface and at least one power via. Thepower pad is electrically connected to the power via to provideelectrical connection between the second interface and at least one ofthe voltage regulator and capacitor. The power via may be electricallyconnected to a power conduit disposed in the semiconductor substrate.The power conduit provides electrical connection between the power padand at least one of the voltage regulator and capacitor.

In another embodiment, the power conditioning and thermal managementmodule includes at least one output power conduit, coupled to theelectrical circuitry, to provide conditioned power to the integratedcircuit device. The output power conduit may connect to an input powerpad disposed on the first interface of the power conditioning element.The input power pad may correspond to the power input of the integratedcircuit device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the course of the detailed description to follow, reference will bemade to the attached drawings. These drawings show different aspects ofthe present invention and, where appropriate, reference numeralsillustrating like structures, components and/or elements in differentfigures are labeled similarly. It is understood that variouscombinations of the structures, components and/or elements other thanthose specifically shown are contemplated and within the scope of thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representation of a conventional approach topower conditioning and heat capture/rejection for integrated circuit,for example, microprocessors;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a discrete power conditioning modulein accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram representation of an embodiment of the powerconditioning module of FIG. 2 incorporated in an integrated circuitapplication;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of another embodiment of thepower conditioning and heat capture/rejection module according to thepresent invention incorporated in an integrated circuit application;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a discrete power conditioningmodule, including power and ground conduits, in accordance with anaspect of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram representation of a top view of the interfaceof the power conditioning module according to one aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram representation of an embodiment of a powerconditioning and thermal management module according to one aspect ofthe present invention incorporated in an integrated circuit application;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a power conditioning and thermalmanagement module in accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention;,

FIG. 9 is a block diagram representation of the power conditioning andthermal management module of FIG. 8 incorporated in an integratedcircuit application;

FIG. 10A is a top of a micro channel configuration of a thermalmanagement element in accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10B is a cross sectional view, along line AA, of the micro channelconfiguration of a thermal management element illustrated in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram representation of another embodiment of thepower conditioning and thermal management module, incorporated in adual-in-line package, face-down integrated circuit application;

FIG. 12A is a block diagram representation of another embodiment of thepower conditioning and thermal management module, incorporated in adual-in-line package, face-up integrated circuit application;

FIG. 12B is a block diagram representation of the embodiment of thepower conditioning and thermal management module, incorporated in adual-in-line package, face-up integrated circuit application of FIG. 12Ain conjunction with a package lid;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the powerconditioning and thermal management module, mounted on a printed circuitboard, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the powerconditioning and thermal management module of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram representation of an embodiment of the powerconditioning and thermal management module of FIG. 12 incorporated in anintegrated circuit application;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the powerconditioning and thermal management module of the present invention;

FIG. 17A is a block diagram representation and cross-sectional view ofan embodiment of the integrated power conditioning and heatcapture/rejection module of FIG. 16, in conjunction with a discrete heatcapture/rejection module, incorporated in an integrated circuitapplication;

FIG. 17B is a block diagram representation and cross-sectional view ofan embodiment of the integrated power conditioning and heatcapture/rejection module of FIG. 16, in conjunction with a discretethermal capture element, incorporated in an integrated circuitapplication;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a power conditioning and thermalmanagement module in accordance with another aspect of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 19A, 19B and 19C are block diagram representations of the powerconditioning and thermal management modules incorporated in anintegrated circuit application;

FIG. 20 is a block diagram representation of one embodiment of aclosed-loop power conditioning and thermal management system accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram representation of another embodiment of theclosed-loop power conditioning and thermal management system accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a block diagram representation of another embodiment of theclosed-loop power conditioning and thermal management system accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a block diagram representation of another embodiment of thepower conditioning system according to the present invention; and

FIG. 24 is a block diagram representation of a closed loop powerconditioning and thermal management system, including power and thermalbuses, according to another aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to a technique of, and system forconditioning the power applied to a consuming device (for example, anintegrated circuit device). The technique and system of the presentinvention optimize or enhance the power conditioning of the input powerfor a consuming device by stacking the power conditioning circuitry onor under the consuming device. Several embodiments of the presentinvention are well suited for use in space-constrained applications,such as portable or handheld applications, that require a wellconditioned input power supply for the consuming device. As such, theseembodiments provide an efficient, compact (reduced volume), costeffective power conditioning system.

The present invention is also directed to a technique of, and system forconditioning the power applied to a consuming device as well as managingthe heat capture, removal, and/or rejection of a consuming device andthe electrical circuitry for conditioning the power. The technique andsystem of the present invention optimize or enhance the powerconditioning and thermal management capabilities according toconstraints dictated by, for example, the environment of the applicationand the needs of the consuming device and system. In this regard, inseveral of the embodiments, the technique and system of the presentinvention are also well suited for use in space-constrained applicationsthat also require high heat capture, removal and rejection capabilities.The techniques and systems is of these embodiments may combine orintegrate the power conditioning circuitry and thermal managementelement into the same substrate, substrates that have similarfootprints, and/or the substrate of the consuming device. As such, thepower conditioning and thermal management system of these embodimentsprovide an efficient, compact, cost effective power conditioning andthermal management techniques.

The present invention also includes embodiments that employ a thermalmanagement element that includes a controller that receives feedbacksignals from parameter sensors (for example, temperature, pressure andflow) and, responsively modifies the fluid flow from a pump(s), ormodifies the fluid flow in the micro channel structure of a heatcapture, removal and/or rejection element.

The present invention may also employ a current sensor(s) to provideinformation representative of the current consumption of the consumingdevice and/or power conditioning circuitry to a controller. Thecontroller may, in response to that information, anticipate a change inthe heat generation of the consuming device and/or power conditioningcircuitry and modify the heat capture, removal and/or rejectioncapabilities of the thermal management element(s). For example, where apump is employed to provide a working fluid to capture and remove heat,the controller may modify the fluid flow from a pump(s), or modify thefluid flow in the micro channels, to address the anticipated thermalmanagement needs of the consuming device and/or the power conditioningelement caused by the change in power consumption.

To further reduce the footprint presented by the power conditioning andthermal management system, the thermal management elements may beintegrated with the power management module into a common substrate orstructure. In this regard, the thermal management element(s) may employa micro channel structure to capture and remove heat from the consumingdevice and/or the power conditioning circuitry.

Moreover, the present invention provides a power and thermal managementmodule that may be located or arranged in a manner to efficientlyenhance or optimize the power conditioning capabilities depending on theneeds or requirements of the system. In addition, location orarrangement of the power-and thermal management module of the inventionmay enhance or optimize the heat capture, removal and/or rejectioncapabilities of the system. In this regard, the relative location orposition of the power conditioning element(s) and thermal managementelement(s) to each other, and to the consuming device, may enhance oroptimize the thermal management as well as power conditioningperformance of the system. Under certain circumstances, more than onethermal management element may be implemented in order to furtherenhance the heat capture and rejection capabilities that may furtherenhance the reliability of the system (for example, the power managementmodule and the consuming device).

With reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, in one embodiment, the presentinvention is power conditioning module 100 that may be disposed betweendevice 200 (for example, an integrated circuit device such as amicroprocessor) and printed circuit board 400, as illustrated in FIG. 3,or between device 200 and thermal management module 300, as illustratedin FIG. 4. The location of power conditioning module 100, relative toconsuming device 200 and thermal management module 300, may be selectedaccording to power, thermal and space considerations of system 10.

The power conditioning module 100 of FIG. 2 includes a semiconductorsubstrate 102, interface vias 104 a-104 h, interface pads 106 a-106 p,power and ground vias 108 a and 108 b, power and-ground pads 110 a and110 b, and electrical circuitry 112. The semiconductor substrate 102includes a first interface for mating or interfacing with device 200 anda second interface for mating or interfacing with a substrate or board400 (for example, a system printed circuit board such as a mother ordaughter board).

The semiconductor substrate 102 may be fabricated from a number of wellknown materials including, for example, silicon or germanium. In certaincircumstances, it maybe advantageous to use a material that is the sameas, or has similar properties (for example, thermal expansion) to thematerial used for the substrate of device 200. Such a configuration mayprovide for enhanced operating reliability since the similar thermalexpansion properties of power conditioning module 100 and device 200 mayminimize the potential for defects in the electrical connections betweenpower conditioning module 100 and device 200 typically caused duringoperation because of differences in thermal expansion coefficients.Moreover, using the same material or materials permits the use of thesame or similar fabrication techniques and facilities/equipment therebypotentially reducing manufacturing costs.

The interface vias 104 a–104 h provide electrical connection for signalsused by device 200 but not used by power conditioning module 100 inconditioning the power for device 200. In this regard, powerconditioning module 100 provides the electrical interconnects for othersignals, such as the data and address signals, used by device 200. Forexample, where device 200 is a microprocessor device, interface vias 104a-104 h may provide an electrical pathway, through power conditioningmodule 100, between the microprocessor and, for example DRAM or SRAMmemory devices. Thus, signals from other parts of system 10 (forexample, DRAM or SRAM memory devices) may travel or propagate by way ofsignal traces on printed circuit board 400—through power conditioningmodule 100—to device 200 by way of interface vias 104–104 h.

The interface vias 104 a-104 h may be fabricated using conventionalprocessing techniques. Where the number of signals that travel to andfrom device 200 is large, it may be preferable to employ highlyanisotropic etching to form narrow pathways in substrate 102 and todeposit (for example, using CVD or LPCVD techniques) a highly conductivematerial such as gold, copper, aluminum, or highly doped polysiliconinto the pathways to facilitate a highly conductive interconnection.

With continued reference-to FIG. 2, power conditioning module 100 ofthis embodiment may further include interface pads 106 a-106 p tofacilitate greater conductivity between power conditioning module 100and device 200 or board 400. In this regard, the interface pads 106a-106 p allow for greater tolerance in mating or interfacing powerconditioning module 100 to board 400 and/or device 200. The interfacepads 106 a-106 p may be fabricated using conventional techniques fromhighly conductive material such as gold, copper or aluminum. In apreferred embodiment, the same material is used for both interface vias104 a–104 h and interface pads 106 a–106 p. Indeed, pads 106 a–106 pmaybe fabricated in the same or similar manner and materials as used inball grid array (“BGA”) or chip scale package (“CSP”) devices. The term“pad”, as used herein, includes the “ball” connection technology used inBGA packages, CSP packages, and the like.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, power conditioning module 100 mayalso include power and ground vias 108 a and 108 b to provide a supplyvoltage, supply current, reference voltages, and/or ground (supply)voltages to electrical circuitry 112. The power and ground vias 108 aand 108 b may be designed and fabricated in the same manner as interfacevias 104 a–104 h.

It should be noted that, while only two power and ground vias areillustrated, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatadditional power and ground vias may be employed where necessary oradvantageous. Moreover, it should be noted that power and is ground vias108 a and 108 b may provide other voltages or currents that arenecessary for electrical circuitry 112 to perform the functionsdescribed herein or any other desirable functions.

The power conditioning module 100 may also include power and ground pads110 a and 110 b to enhance electrical conductivity between powerconditioning module 100 and printed circuit board 400. The power andground pads 110 a and 110 b, like interface pads 106 a–106 p, permit forgreater tolerance or mismatch in mating or interfacing powerconditioning module 100 to board 400. The power and ground pads 110 aand 110 b may be designed and fabricated in the same manner as interfacepads 106 a–106 p.

The power conditioning module 100 also includes electrical circuitry112. The electrical circuitry 112 delivers the conditioned power todevice 200. In particular, electrical circuitry 112 provides appropriateconditioning of the voltage parameters (for example, supply voltage andground) and current parameters (for example, supply, peak and typicaloperating currents) required by device 200 so that the voltage andcurrent available to device 200 during, for example, normal operation,standby, start-up and/or shutdown, are within the ranges or tolerancesrequired for proper and reliable operation. The electrical circuitry 112may include voltage regulators, bypass capacitors, DC-DC converters,and/or AC-DC converters arranged, configured, designed andinterconnected using conventional techniques and designs (for example,conventional CMOS or BJT design and fabrication techniques). A briefoverview of these elements is provided in the background of theinvention and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

Importantly, by locating electrical circuitry 112, such as voltageregulators, bypass capacitors, ferrite beads, DC-DC converters, and/orAC-DC converters near device 200, the considerations identified aboveregarding power conditioning are addressed. In addition, the horizontaland vertical space consumed by electrical circuitry 112 is considerablyreduced in relation to the conventional techniques and systemsillustrated in FIG. 1 and contemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,550.Moreover, locating power conditioning module 100 on or near thermalmanagement module 300 facilitates efficient capture and rejection ofheat generated by electrical circuitry 112 in power conditioning module100.

The electrical circuitry 112 illustrated in FIG. 2 is disposed on thefirst interface of substrate 102. This embodiment may facilitateinterfacing with the electrical power and ground inputs of device 200.However, it should be noted that electrical circuitry 112 may also bedisposed on the second interface as illustrated in FIG. 4. Thisconfiguration may, for example, enhance the thermal capture andrejection capabilities with respect to the electrical circuitry of powerconditioning module 100 and enhance signal conductivity between device200 and signal traces on printed circuit board 400. In addition, theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 4 may also suit the packagingrequirements of device 200 and reduce the thermal exchange between powerconditioning module 100 and consuming device 200. The embodiment of FIG.4 may also accommodate manufacturing constraints of electrical circuitry112 of power conditioning module 100.

The electrical circuitry 112 may also be disposed on both the first andsecond interfaces. A layout having electrical circuitry 112 disposed onthe first and second interfaces may provide many of the advantages ofboth FIGS. 3 and 4.

While it is contemplated that the power conditioning requirements ofdevice 200 are satisfied by power conditioning module 100, it should benoted that additional discrete electrical power conditioning elements(for example, by-pass capacitors (not shown) to provide filtering, inaddition to that performed by power conditioning module 100, also may beemployed and disposed in manners similar to that of conventionalsystems. Under this circumstance, power conditioning module 100 does notperform all power conditioning functions of system 10. Rather, powerconditioning module 100 performs power conditioning in conjunction withdiscrete electrical power conditioning elements. These discreteelectrical power conditioning elements may perform initial and/orsupplemental conditioning of the voltage and current. For example, asystem may include a primary power supply (having discrete components)to provide initial power conditioning of an externally supplied power.The power conditioning module 100, in turn, provides localized powerconditioning of the power for device 200. In this embodiment, theprimary power supply may provide initial power conditioning for aplurality of devices in the system, including device 200 (See, forexample, FIG. 24). Thus, many of the advantages of power conditioningmodule 100 are still realized, however, the additional discreteelectrical power conditioning elements may increase the footprint of thepower conditioning of the overall system.

The reference voltages and currents used by electrical circuitry 112 maybe provided or routed to the particular elements (for example, voltageregulators) of electrical circuitry 112 in many ways. For example, withreference to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the voltage and current may beprovided to electrical circuitry 112 using power and ground conduits 114a and 114 b that are embedded within semiconductor substrate 102. Thepower and ground conduits 114 a and 114 b extend from power and groundvias 108 a and 108 b and connect to electrical circuitry 112 as dictatedby the specific power conditioning circuit design implemented. In thisembodiment, power and ground vias 108 a and 108 b need not extend theentire length of semiconductor substrate 102 (as illustrated in FIG. 2)since power and ground conduits 114 a and 114 b connect well withinsubstrate 102. The power and ground conduits 114 a and 114 b may befabricated using conductive materials (for example, gold, copper,aluminum or a highly doped polysilicon) and deposited using conventionalsemiconductor processing or fabrication techniques (for example,conventional photolithography, etching and deposition processes).

With reference to FIG. 6, power and ground conduits 114 a and 114 b mayalso be formed more towards the interface of semiconductor substrate 102(but still in substrate 102). In this embodiment, power and ground vias108 and 108 b may extend the entire or nearly the entire length ofsemiconductor substrate 102 since power and ground conduits 114 a and114 b connect to electrical circuitry 112 nearer the surface of theinterface of substrate 102. The power and ground conduits 114 a and 114b of FIG. 6 extend from power and ground vias 108 a and 108 b (notillustrated in FIG. 6) and connect to electrical circuitry 112 which isalso fabricated near the interface of substrate 102. The power andground conduits 114 a and 114 b may be fabricated using conventionalprocessing or fabrication techniques from conductive materials (forexample, gold, copper, aluminum or a highly doped polysilicon).

Another alternative for supplying power and ground to electricalcircuitry 112 is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7. In these embodiments,power and ground are provided to electrical circuitry 112 usingconventional wire bonding techniques that employ conventional wires 120and bond pads 122 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate that there are many techniques for providing power andground connections from board 400 (or a power supply, not shown) toelectrical circuitry 112. All techniques for providing power and groundconnections to and from electrical circuitry 112, whether now known orlater developed, are intended to be within the scope of the presentinvention.

As mentioned above, electrical circuitry 112 conditions the power, in aconventional manner, and delivers the required power to device 200. Theelectrical circuitry 112 (for example, voltage regulators, bypasscapacitors, DC-DC converters, and/or AC-DC converters) may be arrangedand interconnected using conventional techniques and designs (forexample, conventional CMOS and/or BJT circuit designs to accomplish thenecessary power conditioning functions) to provide device 200 with theappropriate voltage and current during all aspects of operation as wellas during start-up, standby and shutdown.

The output power and/or ground of power conditioning module 100 may beprovided or routed to device 200 using techniques similar to those usedin providing electrical circuit 112 with the “unconditioned” power andground from board 400 (or power supply, not shown). In this regard, withreference to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, electrical circuitry 112supplies the conditioned power and/or ground to device 200 using outputpower conduit 116 a, output ground conduit 116 b, output power via 118a, and output ground via 118 b. Signal traces may then provideelectrical connection between output power and ground conduits 116 a and116 b to power and ground inputs of device 200.

Alternatively, with continued reference to FIG. 5, output power andoutput ground conduits 116 a and 116 b may be directly routed to thespecified pads on the interface of substrate 102 that match orcorrespond to the power and ground inputs of device 200. In thisembodiment, vias 118 a and 118 b may be eliminated because output powerand ground conduits 116 a and 116 b are routed to the appropriate powerand ground inputs of device 200 without an intermediate connection. Forexample, the output power and/or ground of power conditioning module 100may be routed to device 200 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6.

With reference to FIG. 6, output power and ground conduits 116 a, 116 band 116 c are formed in substrate 102 using conventional fabricationtechniques and routed to a predetermined pads 106 x, 106 y and 106 zwhich corresponds to power or ground inputs of device 200. In thisembodiment, there may be no need for output power and ground vias 118 aand 118 b since output power and ground conduits 116 a and 116 b arerouted directly to specified pads 106 x, 106 y and 106 z on theinterface of substrate 102 that match or correspond to the power andground inputs of device 200. The power and ground conduits 116 a and 116b may be fabricated from electrically conductive materials (for example,gold, copper, aluminum or a highly doped polysilicon).

Further the output power and ground of power conditioning module 100 mayalso be routed to device 200 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7. Inthis embodiment, output power and ground are provided to device 200using conventional wire bonding techniques. In short, conventional wires120 (and bond pads, not shown) interconnect the output of powerconditioning module 100 to the appropriate inputs of device 200.

It should be noted that power conditioning module 100 may be fabricatedusing a 2-stage process, in which vias 104 and 108 (and other elements,for example power and ground conduits 114 and 116) are formed first andelectrical circuitry 112 fabricated using conventional CMOS or BJTprocessing is formed second. Indeed, it should be understood that anytechniques for fabricating (as well as the materials used therein) powerconditioning module 100 now known or later developed are intended to bewithin the scope of the present invention.

Moreover, it should also be noted that with respect to all of theembodiments described herein, those skilled in the art will recognizeand understand that there are many other suitable techniques forproviding the conditioned or output power and ground from electricalcircuitry 112 to device 200. Indeed, it should be understood that anytechniques for designing and fabricating the pads, vias, conduits,electrical circuitry and wire bonds now known or later developed areintended to be within the scope of the present invention; in addition,it should be understood that any materials used therein for thesubstrate, pads, vias, conduits, electrical circuitry, and wire bondswhich are now known or are later developed are intended to be within thescope of the present invention.

The present invention is advantageously suitable for use inspace-constrained environments. In this regard, locating the powerconditioning elements in essentially the same basic footprint as theintegrated circuit device permits the space around the integratedcircuit device to be used for other purposes. For example, externalstatic or dynamic memory may be located closer to the microprocessorthereby reducing the flight times of signals communicating with thememory. This may result in faster system operation.

The power conditioning module 100 may be located between device 200 andboard 400 as illustrated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, a configurationof power conditioning module 100 as illustrated in FIG. 2 is moresuitable because the vias, among other things, facilitate electricalconnection for those signals used by device 200 (but not by powerconditioning module 100), for example data and address signals for DRAMor SRAM memory devices.

Alternatively, power conditioning module 100 may be located betweendevice 200 and thermal management module 300 as illustrated in FIGS. 4and 7. In light of the active electrical layer (for example, electricalcircuitry 112) of power conditioning module 100 being separated fromboard 400, it is necessary to form discrete electrical connections fromthe active electrical layer to board 400. As mentioned above, this maybe accomplished using wire bonds 120 as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7, orby using other known or later developed interconnect technologies, allof which are intended to be within the scope of the present invention.

Under certain circumstances, it may be advantageous to locate thermalmanagement module 300 remotely from the other elements of system 10. Inthis regard, thermal management module 300 may be a fan that causes airto travel over the elements of system 10 and thereby remove the heatgenerated by module 100 and device 200. Such a configuration facilitatesuse of system 10 in a space-constrained environment yet providessufficient power conditioning in a small footprint. In this embodiment,the remotely located thermal management module 300 may be placed in anarea having sufficient volume for a fan, without interfering with othersystem needs for placement of peripherals, such as memory or datastorage, in close proximity to device 200.

Further, in certain implementations, it may be advantageous to implementa more compact thermal management module 300 than a conventionalfin-array heat sink as illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, as will bediscussed below, it may be advantageous to employ a thermal captureelement having a micro channel structure to capture and remove heatgenerated by device 200 and/or electrical circuitry 112. The heat energymay then be rejected by a heat rejection element that is either local orremote relative to device 200. Indeed, it should be understood that anytechniques known or later developed for heat capture and rejectionapparatus or sub-system, including any of those described herein, areintended to be within the scope of the present invention.

Finally, under certain circumstances, thermal management module 300 maybe unnecessary altogether For example, the introduction of “cool chips”such as the “Crusoe” processor from Transmeta Inc., feature low thermalprofiles. As such, system 10 may be implemented in a space-constrainedenvironment (for example, portable or handheld devices), due to itssmall footprint, and be unconcerned with thermal capabilities and spaceconsiderations of thermal management module 300.

In another aspect, the present invention is an integrated power andthermal management module that incorporates the functions of the powerconditioning element (i.e., power conditioning) and the thermalmanagement element (i.e., heat capture, removal and/or rejection) into asingle structure. In contrast, in the previously discussed embodiments,the modules for power conditioning and heat capture, removal andrejection were separate structures that were stacked, with device 200,in various configurations to form a 3–layer structure. In this aspect ofthe invention, the power conditioning element and the thermal managementelement are incorporated into a single structure. As such, additionaladvantages (beyond those-advantages described above) may be realizedincluding, for example, a significant reduction in the total volumeoccupied and direct physical contact may be achieved between theconsuming device, the power conditioning module and the thermalmanagement module—thereby facilitating enhanced thermal capture andrejection for the power conditioning structure and/or the consumingdevice.

This aspect of the invention also provides unique packagingconfigurations of the combined power conditioning and thermal managementmodule—consuming device structure. It should be noted that since theconsuming device and the power conditioning module capitalize on thethermal management capabilities of the integrated power conditioning andthermal management module, additional heat capture and rejectionelements may be unnecessary. This may be important because, in someinstances, the operational temperatures of the power conditioning modulemay approach that of device 200.

Moreover, “miniaturizing” the thermal management element facilitatesimplementation of the integrated power conditioning and thermalmanagement module in highly space-constrained environments. Where theheat capture and heat rejection aspects of the thermal managementelement of module 1000 are separated such that the thermal capturefunctions are integrated into a single structure with the powerconditioning functions, that single structure (i.e., power conditioningand thermal management module 1000 as in FIG. 8) may be implementedwithin the packaging of an integrated circuit device. (See, for example,FIG. 11). The heat rejection functions may be accomplished using a heatsink disposed on a surface of the device/package or located distant fromthe device/package.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, power conditioning and thermalmanagement module 1000 includes power conditioning element 1100. Thepower conditioning element 1100 may be substantially similar to powerconditioning module 100 of FIGS. 2–7 and may include, for example, vias,pads, and electrical circuitry as described above. For the sake ofbrevity, the details and functions of power conditioning element 1100will not be repeated here.

The power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 also includesthermal management element 1200. Thermal management element 1200captures and removes the heat generated by device 200 and/or powerconditioning element 1100 so that the temperature of device 200 and/orpower conditioning element 100 does not exceed a given temperature. Thethermal management element 1200 may also reject the heat. Thus, inoperation, thermal management element 1200 captures the heat generatedby device 200 and power conditioning element 1100 and removes that heatso that it may be dispersed in the surrounding environment by convectionor a heat rejection element (for example, a conventional heat sink).

Power-conditioning and thermal management module 1000 may includesubstrate 102 a, in which a substantial portion of power conditioningelement 1100 is formed, and substrate 102 b, in which a portion ofthermal management element 1200 is formed. The two substrates may bebonded by, for example, anodic or fusion bonding, or eutectic bonding,or adhesive bonding for glass and semiconductor structures. Employingmetal structures permits bonding by welding, soldering, eutecticbonding, or adhesives. The combined substrates 102 a and 102 b formpower conditioning and thermal management module 1000.

In this configuration, interface vias that provide electrical connectionbetween signal traces on printed circuit board 400 and inputs/outputs ofdevice 200 may be fabricated in two steps. A separate set of interfacevias are formed in each of the substrates of power conditioning element1100 and thermal management element 1200. Thereafter, when the twosubstrates are bonded, a corresponding one of the interface vias insubstrate 102 a mates with a corresponding one of the interface vias insubstrate 102 b to form the interface via for module 1000.

To enhance the electrical continuity between the interface vias insubstrate 102 a and 102 b, intermediate interface pads may be disposedon each of the mating interfaces of substrate 102 a and 102 b. The padson each mating interface, after the two substrates are bonded, contact acorresponding pad on the other mating interface. This configurationallows for greater tolerance when mating or interfacing powerconditioning element 1100 and thermal management element 1200 and, assuch, may enhance the electrical continuity between the exposedinterfaces of power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 whenthe bonded substrates are not perfectly aligned.

Moreover, in those instances where external power is provided to powerconditioning element 1100 by way of power and ground vias, the samefabrication techniques described above may be employed to fabricate thepower and ground vias. However, in those instances where external poweris provided to power conditioning element 1100 by way of wire bonds,power and ground vias may not be necessary.

With continued reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, in one embodiment, thermalmanagement element 1200 includes a micro channel heat exchanger 1210having a plurality of micro channels 1220. The micro channel heatexchanger 1210 also includes pump 1230, fluid inlet 1240, fluid outlet1250, and tubing 1260 to provide a fluid to micro channels 1220.

With reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, micro heat exchanger 1210 may be,for example, a micro fabricated semiconductor substrate, machined metalsubstrate, or machined glass substrate. FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate atop and cross sectional view, respectively, of an exemplary microchannel structure 1220. The substrate of thermal management element 1200includes a pattern of micro channels 1220-1 and 1220-2 etched into aninterface. The micro channels 1220-1 and 1220-2 may be arranged on theinterface of thermal management element 1200 according to the needs forheat removal from particular regions of power conditioning element 1100.The density of micro channel structure 1220 may be increased in regionsthat correspond to anticipated or measured sources of excessive heat, orthe routing of micro channels 1220-1 and 1220-2 may be designed toreduce and/or minimize temperature gradients from the inlet to theoutlet of micro heat exchanger 1210. The widths, depths, and shapes ofmicro channels 1220-1 and 1220-2 may also be designed and fabricated toimprove device temperature uniformity or address a hot spot on device200 and/or power conditioning element 110. Indeed, the shape andarrangement of micro channel structure 1220 may be designed ordetermined through the assistance of thermal modeling tools described ina U.S. patent application entitled “Electroosmotic Microchannel CoolingSystem”, filed by Kenny, et al. on Jan. 19, 2002. Many different typesof arrangements, layouts and configurations of micro heat exchanger 1210and micro channels 1220-1 and 1220-2 are described and illustrated inthe U.S. patent application filed by Kenny et al. on Jan. 19, 2002.

The U.S. Patent Application filed by Kenny et al. on Jan. 19, 2002(entitled “Electroosmotic Microchannel Cooling System”) has beenassigned application Ser. No. 10,053,859. The Kenny et al. U.S. PatentApplication will be referred to hereinafter as “the Kenny et al.Application”). The Kenny et al. Application is hereby incorporated, inits entirety, by reference herein.

It should be noted that micro channels 1220 may also extend into theinterface of power conditioning element 1100 as well. In addition, microchannel structure 1220 may be formed on both the first and second matinginterfaces of thermal management module 1100. In this embodiment, microheat exchanger 1210 may more efficiently capture and remove heat fromboth device 200 and power conditioning element 1200 due, in part, tomore intimate physical contact between the heat exchanger 1210 and bothdevice 200 and power conditioning element 1200.

The micro heat exchanger 1210 may also include more than one fluid path,as illustrated in FIG. 10A, by micro channels 1220-1 and 1220-2. Theseindependent paths may be connected to different pumps 1230 and/ordifferent heat rejection elements 1410, according to the particularneeds and/or designs of the application. As mentioned above, manydifferent types of arrangements, layouts and configurations of microheat exchanger 1210 and micro channels 1220-1 and 1220-2, including themultiple independent micro channel configuration, are described andillustrated in the Kenny et al. Application, which are again herebyincorporated by reference.

The pump 1230 may be any type of pumping device that provides the flowand pressure necessary to capture the heat generated in device 200and/or power conditioning element 1100. In this regard, pump may be anelectro-osmotic type pumping device like that described and illustratedin the Kenny et al. Application. The electro-osmotic type pumping deviceis not discussed in detail here, rather the corresponding discussion inthe Kenny et al. Application is incorporated herein by reference.

The power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIGS. 8 and9 facilitates efficient packaging of power conditioning element 1100 inclose proximity to device 200, and provides an additional advantage thatthe heat generated by power conditioning element 1100 and/or device 200is captured within, and removed by thermal management element 1200.Further, by positioning the power conditioning and heat capture elementswithin a single module beneath device 200, a surface (for example, thetop or upper surface) of device 200 is available for other modes ofaccess, such as optical or RF telecommunications, and/or for placementof memory devices. This positioning also permits that surface of device200 to be used for other functions, including, for example, additionalthermal management elements such as a heat sink as illustrated in FIG. 3or a second thermal management element as illustrated in FIGS. 17A and17B.

In addition, power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 ofFIGS. 8 and 9 facilitates efficient packaging as a discrete device. Inthis regard, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12A, module 1000 may beincorporated into a typical electronic package 1300, having pins 1310,that is modified to accommodate fluid required for thermal managementelement 1200.

The device 200 illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 11 may employ aconventional face-down, ball-bond mounting configuration to anelectrical interconnect array. The device 200 may be mounted to powerand thermal management module 1000 in a manner similar to that describedabove with respect to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2-7. Employinga face-down, ball-bond mounting configuration for device 200 providesseveral additional advantages, including, for example, providingintimate contact between device 200 with the heat capture capabilitiesof thermal management element 1200 (and the fluid-filled micro channels1220); and permitting back-surface access to device 200 for otherpurposes, as described above.

The device 200 illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 12A may employ aconventional face-up, wire bond mounting configuration where wire bondsprovide connection from device 200 to package 1300. In this embodiment,the interconnect vias are unnecessary since conventional wire bondingtechniques provide the electrical connection to device 200. However,this embodiment provides several significant advantages, including, forexample, incorporation of power conditioning and heat capture elementsinto package 1300 thereby providing close proximity of powerconditioning element 1100 to device 200. In addition, this embodimentprovides an advantage of providing intimate contact between device 200,power conditioning element 1100 and thermal management element 1200 sothat energy (in the form of heat) generated by device 200 and/or powerconditioning element 1100 may be efficiently captured (by the fluid inmicro channels 1220) are removed from package 1300. A further advantageof the embodiment in FIG. 12A is that the operating surface of device200 is optically accessible, which would be suitable for use by anotherdevice, for example, an electro-optic device, such as a modulator, adisplay device, an optical imaging device, such as a CCD, and/or anoptical switch.

Under those circumstances where device 200 is to be implemented in aharsh environment, it may be advantageous to hermetically-seal package1300. As illustrated in FIG. 12B, a lid 1320 may be attached to package1300 thereby providing a hermetically-sealed environment with integratedpower conditioning and thermal management capabilities of module 1000 inintimate contact with device 200. The lid 1320 may be opaque, as wouldbe appropriate for an opto-electronic device, or lid 1320 may betransparent in the infrared or visible spectrums, as would beappropriate for a display device, or an imaging device. Integration ofthe power and thermal management functions within this package may allowoptimal operation of thermally-sensitive devices, such as imagingarrays.

Under those circumstances where device 200 is to be mounted directlyonto a substrate (for example, printed circuit board 400), it may beadvantageous to supply the Working fluid to thermal management element1200 by way of channels fabricated in the substrate to which the module1000 is affixed. With reference to FIG. 13, the working fluid isprovided to micro heat exchanger 1210 from beneath power conditioningand thermal management module 1000 using channels or tubing 1260 thatare embedded or formed in the substrate. Press fits, solder and/oradhesives may secure the channels or embedded tubing 126D directly tofluid inlet (not shown) and fluid outlet (not shown) of micro heatexchanger 1210. The configuration of FIG. 13 may facilitateimplementation of module 1000 in a chip pick-place assembly process.

It should be noted that there are many possible techniques of attachingchannel or tubing 1260 to module 1000, including, for example, formationof openings in module 1000 to permit tubing segments and/or othercouplings to be inserted into module 1000 and bonded into place. Thesebonds may be press-fits, or utilize solder or adhesives. Alternatively,it is possible to form openings in module 1000 on the top or bottomsurfaces, and to bond a fitting to one or both of these surfaces overthe opening(s) with a port for connecting the tube. Indeed, alltechniques, now known or later developed, for securing embedded channelsor tubing 1260 to the fluid inlet and outlet of micro heat exchanger1210 are intended to be within the scope of the present invention.

The embedded channel configuration of FIG. 13 also may be employed inthose circumstances where the consuming device and power conditioningand thermal management module 1000 are packaged and that package isaffixed to a substrate. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the working fluid maybe provided to the micro heat exchanger of power conditioning andthermal management module using channels or tubing that are embedded orformed in the substrate to which the consuming device is affixed. Thefittings may be employed to secure the channels (or embedded tubing)directly to the fluid inlet and outlet of the micro heat exchanger orthe fluid inlet and outlet of the package. In those circumstances wherethe channels (or embedded tubing) are connected to the fluid inlet andoutlet of the package, tubing or channels embedded or formed in thepackage may provide the interconnection between the channels (or tubing)in the substrate and the fluid inlet and outlet of the micro heatexchanger.

The power and thermal management module 1000 may also include circuitsor devices that provide information regarding the operating parametersof module 1000 for more efficient and responsive cooling and powerconditioning. With reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, power and thermalmanagement module 1000 of this embodiment additionally includes sensors1270 (for example, temperature, pressure and flow sensors) andcontroller 1280. The sensors 1270 provide information that isrepresentative of the operating conditions of device 200 and module 1000(for example, operating temperature). The signals from sensors 1270 maybe routed to controller 1280 to provide a closed-loop control of thefunctionality of power and thermal management module 1000.

In particular, where sensors 1270 include a temperature measuringsensor, controller 1280 may use information provided by the temperaturesensor to modify or adjust the operation of thermal management element1200, power conditioning element 1100 and/or device 200. Under thesecircumstances, power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 isbeing operated in a thermal control mode, in which the temperaturevariations measured by one or more temperature sensors that aredistributed throughout module 1000 are provided as feedback signals tocontroller 1280. The controller 1280 may use the information provided bysensors 1270 to determine, for example, the average temperature ofmodule 1000 and/or device 200 and spatial variations in temperature withrespect to module 100 and/or device 200. In response to thisinformation, controller 1280 may adjust the fluid flow rate throughmicro channels 1220 of micro channel heat exchanger 1210. The controller1280 may adjust the rate of fluid flow in micro channels 1220 bycontrolling the operation of pump 1230 or by adjusting the distributionof the fluid through the different channel manifolds of micro channelheat exchanger 1210.

In addition, controller 1280, after determining a temperature sensitivecondition, may alert device 200 that it may exceed (or has exceeded) itsnormal operating temperature. In response device 200 may initiate a lowpower mode in order to lower its operating temperature and powerconsumption. Consuming less power will result in less heat generation bydevice 200 as well as power conditioning element 1100. The device 200,in response to information regarding its operating temperature,.mayenter a system shut down process as a protective measure. Other actionsin response to changes in temperature are described in the Kenny et al.Application, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

The placement or location of sensors 1270 (for example, temperature,pressure, and/or flow sensors) within substrates 102 a and 102 b may bebased on many factors. For example, there may be advantages to place thetemperature sensors laterally with respect to the micro channels 1220and the anticipated or measured sources of heat of electricallycircuitry 112 and/or device 200. Moreover, there may be advantages toplacement of temperature sensors at different depths (verticallocations) in substrates 102 a and 102 b. FIGS. 10A, 10B, 14 and 15illustrate sensors 1270 disposed in various locations in powerconditioning element 1100 and thermal management element 1200. Thesensors 1270 provide information indicative of the operating conditions(for example, temperature) of a specific region(s) of device 200 andmodule 1000 to controller 1280.

A detailed discussion of sensors 1270, their operation, andconsiderations regarding their placement or location, is provided in theKenny et al. Application, which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein.

It should be noted that although the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 15illustrate one pump, namely, pump 1230, power and thermal managementmodule 1000 may include more than one pumping mechanism. Additionalpumping mechanisms may be implemented to provide more immediate anddirect control of fluid flow in particular regions of module 1000. Thismay be important in those situations where there are expected hotspotsin device 200 and/or power conditioning elements 1100. For example, morethan one pump may be implement in configuration where micro heatexchanger 1210 includes separate and independent micro channels 1220paths, as illustrated in FIG. 10A. Additional embodiments employing morethan one pumping mechanism are described in detail in the Kenny et al.Application, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Thus, to briefly summarize, power and thermal management module 1000 ofFIG. 15, provides, among other things, power conditioning functions fordevice 200, and cooling functions for maintaining device 200 and/orpower conditioning elements 1100 within acceptable temperature ranges.The controller 1280, in conjunction with sensors 1270, permits analysisand detection of changes in the operating parameters of device 200 andpower and thermal management module 1000. Such changes may result fromchanges in the power usage by device 200. In response, thermalmanagement element 1200 may adjust the cooling capability (by, forexample, control signals to the fluid pump(s) to increase the rate offluid flow) in order to maintain the temperature of device 200 withinacceptable temperature ranges.

The power and thermal management module 1000 may also include currentsensors to detect the current consumption of device 200. With referenceto FIG. 16, current sensor 1290 may be embedded in semiconductorsubstrate 102 a to provide information which is representative of thecurrent consumption of device 200 and/or electrical circuitry 112 tocontroller 1280. The controller 1280 may use the detected currentconsumption to modify the operation of thermal management element 1200.For example, in response to a change in demand of current detected bycurrent sensor 1290, controller 1280 may adjust the fluid coolingcapability of thermal management element 1200 by increasing ordecreasing the fluid flow of pump 1230. In this embodiment, by detectingand analyzing changes in current demand by device 200, controller 1280may anticipate a change in temperature of device 200 and/or powerconditioning element 1100.

With continued reference to FIG. 16, current sensor(s) 1290 may alsodetect the current passing through electrical circuitry 112 of powerconditioning element 1100 (for example, the voltage regulation devices).The current passing through electrical circuitry 112 may berepresentative of the current and/or power consumption or demand ofdevice 200. The controller 1280 may use the information from sensor(s)1290 to determine appropriate actions to be taken in anticipation of anincrease or decrease in temperature as a result of a change in thecurrent consumption of device 200 and/or power conditioning element1100. The controller may also use that information to determineanticipated heat capture and rejection requirements as a result of achange in the current consumption.

Based on a measurement of the current through the voltage regulationcircuits, it may be possible to determine the power consumption in thevoltage regulators and/or the power dissipation in device 200, therebyenabling controller 1280 to determine the total power dissipation andadjust the heat capture and removal capabilities of micro channel heatexchanger 1210 accordingly. The heat capture and removal capabilities ofmicro channel heat exchanger 1210 may be modified by altering the rateof flow of the working fluid in micro channels 1220 (for example, byadjusting the output flow rate of pump 1230). Further, controller 1280may also adjust the heat rejection capabilities after the heat iscaptured and removed from device 200 and module 1000. Other techniquesfor changing the heat capture and removal capabilities of micro channelheat exchanger 1210 are described in the Kenny et al. Application, whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

In the embodiment of FIG. 16, sensor(s) 1290 are integrated with thevoltage regulators in power conditioning element 1100. It should benoted that controller 1280 may also determine the power requirementsand/or consumption of device 200 indirectly from the power consumedduring operation of device 200. The controller 1280 may then use thatinformation to determine or implement an appropriate course of action,for example, by adjusting the heat capture and removal capabilities ofmicro channel heat exchanger 1210 or heat rejection capabilities of thesystem, as discussed above.

Moreover, it should be noted that the functions/operations performed bycontroller 1280 may be implemented within device 200. Under thiscircumstance, device 200 determines its power consumption using, forexample, information from sensors 1270 (for example, temperature,pressure, flow) and/or current sensor 1290, or information regardingclock rate, electrical activity in subsystems such as floating-pointprocessors, image processing circuits, and analog current outputcircuits. In response, device 200 may adjust the power deliverycapabilities of power conditioning element 110. The device 200 may alsoadjust the heat capture, removal and/or rejection capabilities ofthermal management element 1200. Employing device 200 to perform some orall of the functions/operations previously performed by controller 1280facilitates use of information typically available to devices (forexample, clock rate), as well as use of computational resources that mayalready exist in device 200.

In addition, for devices that execute repetitive or predictablefunctions, it may be possible to predict variations in the powerconsumption of devices, and to use thermal dynamic models of the entiresystem to produce an optimal or enhanced strategy for heat capture andrejection management that minimizes temporal or spatial variations inthe temperature within device 200. The device 200 and/or controller 1280may implement sophisticated control algorithms that allow device 200and/or controller 1280 to determine an appropriate action or response ofthermal management element 1200 so that the temperature of device 200and/or power conditioning element 1100 is maintained within a narrowrange. That information may be used to develop a heat capture/rejectionoperational procedure that achieves an optimal balance betweentemperature variations of device 200 and operational costs of power andthermal management module 1000. Such operational costs may be powerconsumption by device 200, computational complexity, and/or operationwithin preferred flow and thermal ranges.

Moreover, device 200 and/or controller 1280 may use informationindicative of the operation of device 200 to predict variations in thespatial distribution of the power dissipation within device 200. Forexample, if device 200 is a microprocessor, the power consumption of thefloating point processor, which takes up a small fraction of theprocessor's surface, may temporarily exceed the power consumption of theremainder of the microprocessor. In such a case, the temperature of thissubsystem of the microprocessor may rise rapidly to temperatures thatexceed the recommended operational temperatures. Thus, it may beadvantageous for device 200 and/or controller 1280 to predict theconcentrated power dissipation in device 200 and, in response, providethe necessary heat capture capabilities dynamically to thoseconcentrated power dissipation regions of device 200.

In another, aspect, the present invention is a closed-loop powerconditioning and thermal management system. With reference to FIG. 17A,in one embodiment, closed-loop power conditioning and thermal managementsystem 2000 includes power conditioning and thermal management module1000, as discussed above, in conjunction with thermal capture andrejection module 1400. In this embodiment, power conditioning andthermal management module 1000 is disposed on printed circuit board 400,device 200 is disposed on power conditioning and thermal managementmodule 1000, and thermal capture and rejection module 1400 is disposedon device 200. In this configuration, power conditioning element 1100 ofpower conditioning and thermal management module, 1000 is disposed inclose proximity to device 200 thereby providing the power conditioningadvantages described above. Moreover, micro channel heat exchanger 1210is disposed in close proximity to power conditioning element 1100thereby facilitating enhanced heat capture, removal and rejection inorder to maintain the temperature of power conditioning element 1100within an acceptable range. The heat captured by thermal managementelement 1200 is provided (via fluid flow) to heat rejection element 1410of thermal capture and rejection module 1400.

The thermal capture and rejection module 1400 rejects the heat providedby thermal management element 1200 using heat rejection element 1410,which is illustrated as a heat sink having fins, and thermal captureelement 1420. The heat rejection element 1410 may employ many differenttypes of heat rejection techniques, including a design having a fluidflow path or paths throughout the high-surface-area structures (such asfluid channels in the fins) as described and illustrated in the Kenny etal. Application. All of the thermal capture, removal and rejectiontechniques described and illustrated the Kenny et al. Application arehereby incorporated by reference.

Thermal capture element 1420 includes a micro channel heat exchanger1430 which facilitates localized heat capture, removal and, inconjunction with heat rejection element 1410, rejection of heatgenerated primarily by device 200. The micro channel heat exchanger 1430includes a plurality of micro channels 1440 (which, in operation containa fluid) for efficient heat capture from device 200. The micro channelheat exchanger 1430, including micro channels 1440, may be fabricated inthe same manner and using the same materials as micro heat exchanger1210 and micro channels 1220.

The micro channel heat exchanger 1430 may be, for example arranged atthe interface of thermal capture element 1420 in accordance with theneeds for heat removal from particular regions of device 200. Thedensity of micro channels 1440 may be increased in regions thatcorrespond to anticipated or measured sources of excessive heat. Inaddition, the routing of micro channels 1440 may be designed to reduceand/or minimize temperature gradients from the inlet to the outlet ofmicro heat exchanger 1420. The widths, depths, and shapes of microchannels 1440 may also be designed and fabricated to improve devicetemperature uniformity across device 200. Indeed, the shape and layoutof micro channels 1440 may be designed through the assistance of thermalmodeling tools described in the Kenny et al. Application. Many differenttypes of arrangement, layouts, configurations and design techniques ofmicro heat exchanger 1420 and micro channels 1440 are described andillustrated in the Kenny et al. Application, which are herebyincorporated, in total, by reference.

Similar to description above relative to thermal management module 1200,the micro channels of micro heat exchanger 1420 may be disposed on bothinterfaces of thermal capture element 1420 to enhance the thermalcapture, removal and/or rejection from the heat generating device(s).Moreover, it should be noted that micro channel heat exchanger 1430 maybe configured as an array of micro channel pillars. In this regard, anarray of vertical channels are interconnected laterally on an interface(or on both interfaces) of thermal capture element 1420. Thisconfiguration may further enhance the thermal capture, removal and/orrejection of heat energy generated by device 200 and/or powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000.

With continued reference to FIG. 17A, in this embodiment, pump 1230 isdisposed between thermal capture and rejection module 1400 and heatrejection element 1410. The pump 1230 may be an electro-osmotic pumpingdevice as described in detail in the Kenny et al. Application. Manydifferent types of-configurations and designs of pump 1230 areacceptable including those described and illustrated in the Kenny et al.Application, which are hereby incorporated by reference.

It should be noted that system 2000 may employ multiple pumps and/orindependent fluid cooling loops to allow for independent control of theheat capture capabilities at different locations within module 1000.This feature is also discussed in detail in the Kenny et al.Application, and is also hereby incorporated by reference.

With reference to FIG. 17B, under certain circumstances, it may beadvantageous to locate heat rejection element 1410 remotely from theother elements of system 2000. Such a configuration facilitates use ofsystem 2000 in a space-constrained environment yet provides sufficientpower conditioning and thermal management in a small footprint. Whereheat rejection element 1410 is located remotely, tubing 1260 provides afluid path for fluid heated by device 200 and power conditioning element1210 to heat rejection element 1410. In this embodiment, the remotelylocated heat rejection element 1410 may be placed in an area havingsufficient volume for a fin array (and possibly with a fan), withoutinterfering with other system needs for placement of peripheral systemelements such as memory or data storage in proximity to device 200.Indeed, as mentioned above, under certain circumstances, heat rejectionfunctionality may be unnecessary altogether.

The power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIGS. 8–17Billustrate the power conditioning element disposed on the thermalmanagement element. In the embodiment of FIG. 18, however, thermalmanagement element 1100 is disposed on power conditioning element 1200.In this embodiment, thermal management element 1200 may more efficientlycapture and remove heat generated by device 200 because of the proximityof the micro channels to device 200. Moreover, the capture and removalof heat from electrical circuitry 112 of power conditioning element 1100may remain relatively unchanged. Thus, thermal management element 1200may more efficiently capture and remove heat generated by both device200 and power conditioning element 1100. Accordingly, in thisembodiment, there may be no need to incorporate a heat rejection element(for example, a heat sink, not shown) because of the heat capture andremoval functions performed by thermal management element 1100.

It should be noted that, like in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8,micro channels 1220 (illustrated in FIG. 18) may also extend into theinterface of power conditioning element 1100. In addition, micro channelstructure 1220 may be formed on both the first and second matinginterfaces of thermal management module 1100. Under this circumstance,micro heat exchanger 1210 may even more efficiently capture and removeheat from both device 200 and power conditioning element 1200 due, inpart, to more intimate physical contact of the heat exchanger 1210 withboth device 200 and power conditioning element 1200.

In addition to the thermal consideration, the electrical circuitry ofthe power conditioning element remains in close proximity with thedevice thereby providing all of the power conditioning advantagesdescribed above.

The power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIG. 18 maybe fabricated and implemented in the same manner as the powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000 illustrated in FIG. 8.In addition, power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 ofFIG. 18 may include all of the features, additions, attributes, andembodiments of power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 ofFIGS. 8–17B. In this regard, power conditioning and thermal managementmodule 1000 of FIG. 18 may include, for example, a controller, parametersensor(s) (for example, temperature, pressure and flow) to measure ordetect the operating conditions of device 200 and/or power conditioningelement 1200, and current sensor(s) to monitor the current consumed bydevice 200 and/or power conditioning element 1200. The powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIG. 18 may alsoinclude pump(s) to provide working fluid to the micro channels,including for example, electro-osmotic pump(s) having a small footprintto facilitate incorporation of the module in a space-constrainedenvironment. The power conditioning and thermal management module 1000of FIG. 18 may also include multiple independent micro channels to allowindependent thermal capture and removal of designated areas of device200 and/or power conditioning element 1200.

Moreover, power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIG.18 may be implemented in the packaging configurations of FIGS. 11, 12Aand 12B in essentially the same manner as the embodiment of FIG. 8.Indeed, all of the features and attributes of power conditioning andthermal management module 1000 illustrated in FIGS. 8–17B, and describedabove, are equally applicable to the power conditioning and thermalmanagement module of FIG. 18. For the sake of conciseness, the detailsof the features and attributes of the embodiments will not be repeatedhere.

With continued reference to FIG. 18, power conditioning and thermalmanagement module 1000 may route the signals to and from device 200using all of the same techniques as described above with respect toFIGS. 2–1 7B. Moreover, power and ground may be routed to and fromelectrical circuitry 112 and device 200 using those same techniques. Forexample, the embodiment of FIG. 18 may employ the routing techniquedescribed in the embodiment of FIG. 6 wherein the output power andground conduits are formed in substrate using conventional fabricationtechniques and are routed to predetermined pads which corresponds topower or ground inputs of device 200. Under this circumstance, outputpower and ground conduits are routed directly to the power and groundinputs of device 200.

In yet another embodiment, the power conditioning element and the microchannel structure of the thermal management element are fabricated inthe same substrate—rather than two substrates 102 a and 102 b, asdescribed above and illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 18. With reference toFIG. 19A, micro channel structure 1210 and power conditioning element1100 are fabricated in the same substrate. In this embodiment, theassembly costs may be reduced because the thermal management element andthe power conditioning element need not be assembled from two separatesubstrates before interfacing with the consuming device and anothersubstrate (for example, a printed circuit board). In addition, thecapture and removal of heat from the consuming device may be enhanced,relative to the embodiment of FIG. 9, because of the proximity of themicro channels to the heat generating circuitry disposed on theconsuming device. Moreover, the capture and removal of heat fromelectrical circuitry 112 of power conditioning element 1100 may besufficient and, as such, this embodiment may not require additional heatremoval, capture and rejection capabilities from, for example a heatsink and/or fan.

With continued reference to FIG. 19A, in this embodiment, micro channelstructure 1210 of thermal management element 1200 may be fabricatedusing conventional micro channel fabrication techniques and/or thosetechniques described and illustrated in the Kenny et al. Application,which are hereby incorporated by reference. Thereafter, electricalcircuitry 112 of power conditioning element 1100 may be fabricated usingconventional CMOS or BJT design and fabrication techniques. In thisembodiment, the interface, power and ground vias may be fabricatedbefore or after the formation of the micro channel structure. The pads(if any) that connect to the vias may be fabricated after fabrication ofelectrical circuitry 112 and micro channels 1220.

It should be noted that all of the features, attributes, alternativesand embodiments of power conditioning and thermal management module 1000that include multiple substrates (i.e., 102 a and 102 b) are fullyapplicable to the embodiment of FIG. 19A. In this regard, powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIG. 19A may include,for example, a controller, parameter sensor(s) (for example,temperature, pressure and flow), and current sensor(s). The powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIG. 19A may alsoinclude pump(s) and multiple independent micro channels to allowindependent thermal capture and removal of designated areas of device200 and/or power conditioning element 1200.

Moreover, power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 of FIG.18A may be implemented in the packaging configurations of FIGS. 11, 12Aand 12B. Indeed, all of the features and attributes of the powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000 illustrated in FIGS.8–18, and described above, are equally applicable to the powerconditioning and thermal management module of FIG. 19A.

With continued reference to FIG. 19A, power conditioning and thermalmanagement module 1000 may route the signals to and from device 200using any of the signal routing techniques described above. Power andground may be routed to and from electrical circuitry 112 and device 200using those same techniques, including the techniques illustrated inFIG. 6 and described above.

It should be noted that under those circumstances where electricalcircuitry 112 of power conditioning element 1100 may be subjected tomicro channel processing without damage, electrical circuitry 112 may befabricated before fabrication of the micro channel structure. As such,the interface, power and ground vias may be fabricated before or afterthe formation of the micro channel structure. The pads (if any) thatconnect to the vias may be fabricated after the other elements of powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000.

In the embodiment of FIG. 19A, the power conditioning element and microchannel structure of thermal management element 1200 are fabricated inone substrate. In still yet other embodiments, the entire micro channelstructure, or a portion of that structure, may be fabricated on thebackside of device 200. With reference to FIGS. 19B and 19C, microchannels 1220 of micro channel structure 1210 may be fabricated entirelyin device 200 (FIG. 19B) or partially in device 200 and powerconditioning element 1100 (FIG. 19C). The discussion above with respectto FIG. 19A is fully and equally applicable to power conditioning andthermal management modules illustrated in FIGS. 19B and 19C. For thesake of brevity, that discussion will not be repeated.

Another aspect of the present invention is the use of the module and/orelements described herein (for example, power conditioning module 100,power conditioning and thermal management module 1000, thermal captureand rejection module 1400, heat rejection element 1410 and thermalcapture element 1420) as building blocks in designing a system havinglocal power conditioning functionality as well as heat capture, removaland/or rejection capabilities. For example, with reference to FIG. 20,in one embodiment, device 200 is disposed on printed circuit board 400,and thermal capture element 1420 is disposed on device 200 to facilitatecapture of localized heat generated by device 200. The powerconditioning and thermal management module 1000 is disposed on thermalcapture element 1420. In this embodiment, it may be advantageous tolocate power conditioning element 1100 between thermal capture element1420 and thermal management element 1200 to enhance the capture of heatgenerated by power conditioning element 1100. Further, heat rejectionelement 1410 (for example, a heat sink having fins) may be disposed onthermal management element 1200 to permit enhanced rejection of the heatcaptured by thermal management element 1200 (generated primarily bypower conditioning element 1100) and thermal capture element 1420(generated primarily by device 200).

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 20, power conditioning element1100 is in close proximity to device 200. Power and ground connectionsto and from power conditioning element 1100 may be accomplished using awire bond configuration described herein. (See, for example, FIGS. 4 and7).

With continued reference to FIG. 20, the pump (not shown) may be anelectro-osmotic type pump(s) located in thermal management module 1200and/or thermal capture element 1420. Moreover, the pump need not belocated in thermal management module 1200 or thermal capture element1420 but rather may be a “stand alone” device. As suggested above, thepump may include a plurality of pumping mechanisms, including mechanismshaving configurations as described in the Kenny et al. Application.

Another example of using modules and/or elements as building blocks isillustrated in FIG. 21. With reference to FIG. 21, in this embodiment,power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 is disposed ondevice 200 and thermal capture element 1420 is disposed on powerconditioning element 1100 of power conditioning and thermal managementmodule 1000. Further, heat rejection element 1410 is disposed on thermalcapture element 1420 to enhance the rejection of the heat captured bythermal management element 1200 (generated primarily by device 200) andthermal capture element 1420 (generated primarily by power conditioningelement 1100).

In addition, the power conditioning and thermal management functions maybe incorporated (in whole or in part) into other modules or elements, oreven the consuming device itself. In this regard, these function(s) maybe combined in consuming device to facilitate a more compact and costeffective system. With reference to FIG. 22, in this embodiment of theinvention, power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 isdisposed in device 200 and thermal capture element 1420 may be disposedon device 200 to enhance the rejection of the heat captured by thermalmanagement element 1200 (generated by device 200 and power conditioningelement 1100). In addition, due to the close proximity of thermalrejection element 1410 to device 200, thermal rejection element 1410directly captures and rejects heat generated by device 200. However,under those circumstances where additional thermal capture and rejectioncapacity provided by thermal rejection element 1410 is not necessary,thermal rejection element 1410 may be omitted.

It should be noted that power conditioning and thermal management module1000 may be disposed on the back side of device 200 or powerconditioning element 1100 and/or thermal management element 1200 may bedisposed on the both the front and back sides of device 200. Moreover,power conditioning element 1100 may be disposed on the front side ofdevice 200 and thermal management element 1200 may be disposed on thebackside.

With reference to FIG. 23, in another embodiment of the invention,system 2000 includes power conditioning module 1 that is disposed indevice 200 and thermal capture and rejection module 1400 may be disposedon device 200 to provide thermal management of device 200 and powerconditioning element 1100. As with the embodiment illustrated in FIG.22, power conditioning module 100 of FIG. 23 may be disposed on the backside of device 200 or on the front side of device 200. Moreover, powerconditioning module 100 may be disposed on the both the front and backsides of device 200.

It should be noted that in all of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS.20–23, the elements and modules, as well as the consuming device thatincludes the power conditioning and/or thermal managementfunctions/elements, may include the features, attributes, alternativesand advantages of the corresponding elements and modules illustrated inFIGS. 2–19, and described above. For the sake of brevity, thosefeatures, attributes, and advantages will not be restated here.

In addition, under those circumstances where thermal capture andrejection capacity provided by thermal rejection element 1410 is notnecessary, thermal rejection element 1410 may be omitted altogether.

Another aspect of the present invention is a system including aplurality of consuming devices, each having a power conditioning andthermal management module that receives power from a primary powersupply and a working fluid from a fluidic pumping mechanism. Withreference to FIG. 24, in this embodiment, primary power supply 3100provides initial power conditioning of an external power source (notshown). The output of primary power supply 3100 is provided to each ofthe power conditioning elements 1100 a–c of power conditioning andthermal management module 1000 a–c, respectively. The power conditioningelements 1100 a–c provide localized power conditioning for the consumingdevice 200 a–c, respectively. The power conditioning elements 1100 a–cmay be any one of the embodiments described above and illustrated inFIGS. 8–19.

The primary power supply 3100 provides the initially conditioned powerto each power conditioning elements 1100 a–c by way of power bus 3110.The power bus 3110 may be routed in parallel to each of powerconditioning elements 1200 a–c.

The primary power supply 3100 may include discrete components, similarto that illustrated in FIG. 1, or may be a power conditioning module1100, similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 2. Moreover,primary power supply 3100 may also include additional power supplycircuitry positioned more locally to the devices 200 a–c. The additionalpower supply circuitry may provide additional initial conditioning ofthe power before being supplied to power conditioning elements 1100 a–c.

With continued reference to FIG. 24, fluidic pumping mechanism 3200provides a working fluid to each of the thermal management elements 1100a–c of power conditioning and thermal management module 1000 a–c,respectively. The thermal management elements 1100 a–c captures andremoves heat generated by devices 200 a–c and/or power conditioningelements 1100 a–c. The thermal management elements 1100 a–c may be anyone of the embodiments described above and illustrated in FIGS. 8–19.Moreover, system 3000 of FIG. 24 may also include local heat rejectionelements (not shown) that are disposed on or near devices 200 a–c.System 3000 may also, or alternatively include a global heat rejectionelement (not shown) that rejects heat for one or more of the thermalmanagement elements 1100 a–c. The heat rejection element(s) may includethe features of the heat rejection element and thermal rejection moduleas illustrated in FIGS. 2–19 and described above.

The fluidic pump mechanism exchanges the working fluid with each thermalmanagement element 1200 a–c by way of fluid bus 3210. That is, pumpingmechanism 3200 provides cool fluid to each thermal management element1200 a–c using fluid bus 3210, and fluid bus 3210 provides a path forthe heated fluid from thermal management element 1200 a–c to fluidicpump mechanism 3200. The fluid bus 3210 may be routed in parallel orseries to each of thermal management elements 1200 a–c.

It should be noted that system 3000 of FIG. 24 may be implemented usingpower conditioning module 100 illustrated in FIGS. 2–7, and describedabove. Under this circumstance, the thermal management operations orfunctions may be performed in any manner, including those describedabove and illustrated in FIGS. 2–7, 20 and 21. Thus, depending on thetype of thermal management technique employed, a fluidic pump mechanism3200 and fluid bus 3210 may be unnecessary.

Various embodiments of the present invention have been described herein.It is understood, however, that changes, modifications and permutationscan be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of thepresent invention as defined by the following claims, which are to beinterpreted in view of the foregoing. For example, other permutations ofthe module(s) and element(s) combinations are possible to provide asystem having a power conditioning feature and a thermal managementfeature. In this regard, other combinations of the modules and elementsin a building block approach, as illustrated in FIGS. 20–23, aresuitable and are contemplated, and, as such, fall within the scope ofthe present invention.

In addition, the power conditioning and thermal management features maybe combined in other modules, elements, or devices of the system,including the consuming device as illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 23, anddescribed above. Incorporating features in this manner is clearlycontemplated, and, thus falls within the scope of the present invention.Moreover, many different types of arrangement, layouts, configurations,designs, and techniques of micro heat exchangers, micro channels,sensors, and pump mechanisms are described and illustrated in the Kennyet al. Application, which are all hereby incorporated by reference.Indeed, the Kenny et al. Application is incorporated by reference hereinin total.

1. An integrated circuit device configurable to be coupled to a circuit board, the integrated circuit device comprising: a. a first module for conditioning power applied to the integrated circuit device, the first module including a substrate having a circuit configured therein, the circuit including at least one voltage regulator and at least one capacitor, wherein the first module includes a plurality of electrical connectors in the substrate for providing electrical connection between the circuit board and the integrated circuit device; and b. a second module for capturing thermal energy produced by the integrated circuit device, the second module coupled to the first module and having a second plurality of electrical connectors, wherein each of the second plurality of electrical connectors is configured to be connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of electrical connectors in the first module.
 2. The integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein plurality of electrical connectors comprise interface vias positioned within the substrate.
 3. The integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors comprise pads for connecting with the circuit board.
 4. The integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the second plurality of electrical connectors comprise interface vias.
 5. The integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit includes additional power conditioning circuitry.
 6. The integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connectors comprise pins for connecting to the circuit board.
 7. The integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the second module for capturing thermal energy produced by the integrated circuit device includes a thermal management element and at least one fluid port for providing a fluid to the thermal management element.
 8. The integrated circuit device according to claim 7, further comprising a pump for providing fluid to the thermal management element, wherein the pump is coupled to the at least one fluid port.
 9. An integrated circuit device configurable to use externally supplied power, comprising: a. power conditioning circuitry for conditioning the externally supplied power; b. a first plurality of electrical connectors, one or more of the connectors configured to supply at least a portion of the externally supplied power to the power conditioning circuitry; and c. a module for capturing thermal energy generated by the integrated circuit device connected by a second plurality of electrical connectors each configurable to connect with a corresponding one or more of the first plurality of electrical connectors.
 10. The integrated circuit device according to claim 9, wherein the module for capturing thermal energy includes a thermal management module.
 11. The integrated circuit device according to claim 10, wherein the thermal management module has at least a portion of a microchannel therein and configured to permit flow of a liquid therethrough, wherein the liquid provides thermal capture of heat generated by the integrated circuit device.
 12. The integrated circuit device according to claim 9, wherein the second plurality of electrical connectors comprise a plurality of interface vias.
 13. The integrated circuit device according to claim 9, wherein power conditioning circuitry includes at least one circuit component, the circuit component being chosen from one or more of the following: a capacitor, a voltage regulator, a power converter.
 14. The integrated circuit device according to claim 9, further including a sensor for providing information representative of operating conditions in the integrated circuit device.
 15. The integrated circuit device according to claim 14, wherein the sensor provides temperature information in a predetermined temperature region.
 16. The integrated circuit device according to claim 14, further comprising a controller for controlling an operating level of the thermal management module in response to the information received from the sensor, wherein the controller is coupled to the thermal management module and the sensor.
 17. An integrated circuit device configurable for electrical connection to a substrate configured to selectively provide power to the integrated circuit device, comprising: a. power conditioning circuitry configurable to condition power provided to the integrated circuit device; b. a module for capturing heat generated in the integrated circuit device; and c. a plurality of electrical connectors for connecting the module with the substrate.
 18. The integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein the module for capturing heat includes a thermal management module.
 19. The integrated circuit device according to claim 18, wherein the thermal management module has at least a portion of a microchannel therein and configured to permit flow of a liquid therethrough, wherein the liquid provides thermal capture of heat generated by the integrated circuit device.
 20. The integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors comprise a plurality of interface vias.
 21. The integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein power conditioning circuitry includes at least one circuit component, the circuit component being chosen from one or more of the following: a capacitor, a voltage regulator, a power converter.
 22. The integrated circuit device according to claim 17, further including a sensor for providing information representative of operating conditions in the integrated circuit device.
 23. The integrated circuit device according to claim 22, wherein the sensor provides temperature information in a predetermined temperature region.
 24. The integrated circuit device according to claim 22, further comprising a controller for controlling an operating level of the thermal management module in response to the information received from the sensor, wherein the controller is coupled to the thermal management module and the sensor. 